Railway-crossing signal.



JOHN IE. REEDER, o1" SHELBYVILLE, inrrivors.

' RAILWAY-CROSSING sieNAL;

To all whom it may concern: a

' Be it known that I, JOHN F. REEDER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Shelbyville, in the county of Shelby and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Crossing Signals, of which the following is a specification. I

The present invention relates to improvements in railway crossing signals of the type known as visual signals and is automatically actuated by an approaching train.

The object of the invention-is the improvement in certaindetails ofconstruction and arrangements offparts of the operating inecha'insm for the warning slgnal, in order to more reliably and surely move the slgnal to danger position on the approach of a train, so that the approach of the train may be indicated at a highway crossing of the railway.

The invention consists essentially in a visual signal located at a predetermined point, as a highway crossing, which 1s agitated from a point some distance from the crossing, and by the passage of the wheels of a passing train over an actuating device. In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a'complete embodiment of my invention constructed according to the best mode I have so far devised for the practical application of the principles of my invention. v

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a railway showing my signal equipment in its general application thereto Fig.

'2 is a plan View of the operating mechanism of the signal device. Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the actuatlng mechanism of the 'device.-

The railway crossing signal consists-of a metallic plate 1 in the form of a flag, which is adapted to be turned through an arc of 90 degrees, and swing to and fro when properly actuated; This flag is attached to the upper end of a rod .or staff 2 which is secured at its lower end to the pivoted plate or lever arm 3 having a sleeve 4 fixed to The staff 2 is journaled to revolve in abracket arm 5 which arm is fixed to the post 6 by means ofa sleeve'7 and Specification of Letters Patent.

set screw 8." The post is supportedfrom a base plate as 9 fixed to one of'the tiesand 1s r1g1d therewith, but the bracket 5 is ad- .j ustable; on the post in that it may be revolved about the post to desired position and there fixed by the set screw8; In this manner the position of the flag'l may be determined so that it will swing properly when actuated. The staff is revolved by n Patented Oct. 6, 1914. Applicaticnfild.Novernber fZ, 1913'. Serial 110,799,736. 2'

means of the draw rod 10 which is pivoted I at 11 to the lever 3 and at'its other end is pivoted to the arm 12. This arm 12 is pivoted at 13 to a plate 14, and at point 15 .on the arm a cushioning device is pivoted.

This device comprises a spring 16 and draw rod or bar 17, the latter passed through the former and coupled to the pivot bolt 15, and the former heldbetween the washer connects the operating'mechanism with the actuating mechanism, and it' extends along the railwaytrack from the operating mechanism at the railway crossing to a distance away from the crossing suitable for the 10.- I cation of the actuating device.

p 'The actuating device comprises a depressible lever 24 pivoted at 25 to a supporting plate 26, and the hump 27 of the lever projects slightly above the top surface of the track 27 as shown in Fig. 3. The depressible lever 24 is connected to the rope 23 by means of a bell crank lever 28 and a link 29, which are pivotally supported in the plate 30, and the'spring 31 returns the lever to normal position.-

In operation, the passing tram depresses the depressible lever to pull on the rope 23, and the pull is transmitted through the bell crank and draw bar, lever arm, draw rod and lever arm, to rotate the staff and thus swing the flag to and fro.

By thisv arrangement of parts the devices both cram operating mechanism and the actuating device are compactly built, dura- 'ble, and comparatively perfect in operation.

a fixed Washer thereon, a stationary bracket, 10 and a spring coiled about said draw bar betWeen said Washer and stationary bracket.-

Inf testiniony' whereof I a'fliX my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

4 JOHN F. REEDER. lVitnesses:

l W; H.-- WHITAKER, Rom. T. PUGH.

Having thus fully described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is e The coinbinationflwith a revolilble' staff 5 having a lever arm and a flag, of a rotary post anda bracket thereon to support the I staff, a-lever linked to the lever arm of the staff, and actuating mechanism connected to i said lever arm including a draw bar and I Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

